On heels of being routed by USC, Stanford Cardinal travels three time zones to face the 17th-ranked Knights of Central Florida

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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 07: Wide receiver Drake London #15 of the USC Trojans breaks from the arms of safety J.J. Parson #4 of the Stanford Cardinal for a first down in the first half of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

After Stanford gave up 35 unanswered points in a 45-20 loss at USC last week, the Cardinal’s road doesn’t get any easier as it travels across the country to play No. 17 UCF on Saturday (12:30 p.m., ESPN).

The Knights (2-0) have won 27 of their last 28 games (the lone loss was last year’s Fiesta Bowl against LSU).

But Stanford (1-1) has defeated at least one top-20 opponent on the road in seven of eight seasons under coach David Shaw.

Here are the keys to Stanford’s first-ever regular-season game in the Sunshine State:

FAST TEMPO

The Cardinal gave up 492 yards to the Trojans and now face an even more high-powered offense.

UCF has scored at least 30 points in 28 straight games, the longest streak in the AP poll era (since 1936). The Knights have averaged 634 yards and recorded a nation’s-best 65 first downs so far this season in wins over Florida A&M (62-0) and Florida Atlantic (48-14).

Stanford will be a significant step up from those in-state opponents, but the Cardinal will need to adjust to UCF’s offense, which plays at a quicker tempo than Stanford is used to.

“We’ve played fast teams before but I don’t know if we’ve played anybody that goes this fast in multiple years,” Shaw said. “And the biggest thing is you have to communicate quickly and you have to get lined up.”

Any miscommunication on the line will lead to a breakdown in gap integrity and big holes for UCF’s rushing attack, which had a program-best 265 yards a game last season and 325 a game so far this year behind first-team all-conference linemen at center (Jordan Johnson), tackle (Jake Brown) and guard (Cole Schneider).

O-LINE SHUFFLE

In contrast to UCF’s rushing attack, Stanford’s run game never got going last season, in part because injuries required eight different starting combinations on the offensive line.

Hopes that there would be more stability on the line this season have been dashed. The team’s top lineman, left tackle Walker Little, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener, and now right tackle Foster Sarell is doubtful against UCF.

True freshman Walter Rouse will make his second consecutive start in place of Little — Rouse and Little are the only freshmen to start at left tackle for Stanford since 2000 – and Drew Dalman will continue at center. But Devery Hamilton is expected to move from right guard to left guard, senior Henry Hattis will play either right guard or right tackle, and freshman Barrett Miller or freshman Branson Bragg will make his first start as the fifth lineman.

The reshuffled line will face an aggressive UCF defense that is known for its different structures and blitz packages.

COSTELLO RETURNS

Losing Little is a significant blow, but at least for Stanford its star quarterback is back. Junior K.J. Costello completed 16 of 20 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown and didn’t turn the ball over in the first half against Northwestern before leaving the game just before halftime with what appeared to be a head injury.

With backup Davis Mills behind center, the Cardinal offense failed to score in two of the next three halves and turned the ball over three times.

Costello’s 3,540 yards in 2018 were the second-most in school history for a single season. He traveled to USC and was able to participate fully in practice by the beginning of this week, giving him plenty of time to prepare for UCF.

SUNSHINE STATE

Stanford is playing on the East Coast for the first time since a 34-20 win at Army in 2013. Besides the time difference, the Cardinal will also have to deal with humidity. The AccuWeather forecast calls for a temperature of 85 degrees and a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms Saturday.

“We’re making sure our guys are properly rested, they have proper nutrition, and they’re properly hydrated,” said Shaw, who also said the team was prepared to rotate more lineman than usual on both sides of the ball.

Besides spreading the Stanford brand, Shaw said the biggest advantage when it comes to recruiting would be allowing coaches to attend games at Florida high schools on Friday night.

The Cardinal’s only other three games in the state of Florida were the 1986 Gator Bowl against Clemson, the 1993 Blockbuster Bowl against Penn State, and the 2011 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech.

UCF has won 16 straight home games over the past three seasons.

“It’s fun playing in different environments,” tight end Colby Parkinson said. “Obviously Stanford isn’t the rowdy environment some of these other places are like. Going on the road and playing Oregon, Utah, Washington, Notre Dame and now UCF is always fun experiences and they’re especially fun if you come away with a win.”